amphitheater in atlanta tonight and i'm jumping on a plen and heading down there to talk with them. >> possibly jumping on the stage. >> we'll see about that. and we'll have that exclusively for you tomorrow morning for all of you rush fans out there in the audience. continue the conversation on today's stories. go to cnn.com/amticket. see you back here early tomorrow. >> see you with kyra phillips. how about that? the rush concert. >> you hit it. he is not admitting it. he will play guitar with them. i can't wait to see how he lines up against the guys. should be interesting, huh? >> hey. you know, i played golf with alex years ago and now playing guitar. on his stage. >> big, big difference. golf versus guitar with rush. yeah. huge difference. >> not quite the same. swing is different with a guitar. >> all right, guys v. a great day. good morning, everybody. a young conservative activist made him infamous and

got him arrested. now he tried to embarrass cnn. you're not a man. you're a monster. that's the message of this young man to former mega church pastor. at least two kids this school year bullied to the point of suicide. seems like we're picking up where we left off last year. today, hear from gay students who are fighting back. i'm kyra phillips and you are live in the "cnn newsroom." what future terror attacks might look like. they might look like mumbai, india. nearly two years ago. guys with guns and grenades going where or theists and business people are and hunting them down. a different plan of attack than, say, one guy planting a bomb in a suv and taking off. a german man of afghan descent who trained with terrorists is now in u.s. custody. reportedly telling intelligence agents that this is how a terror plot in europe was supposed to pan out. and apparently osama bin laden

signed off on it. again, we are talking about europe in this case. our senior international correspondent nic robertson following the story and in our a abu da by bureau. was it foiled and were there any arrests? >> reporter: none that we're aware of, kyra. the reason is the would be attackers never left the tribal border region of pakistan where the plot was being hatched. ahmed asdiki was transferred to u.s. custody. he is talking a lot according to german counterterrorism officials and his information is that which is led to an increase in drone attacks inside pakistan on the sites where the jihadists have their training and also led to european counterterrorism officials becoming aware of this mumbai-style attack in britain, in france and in germany.

although, britain and germany are both saying that no one was in any immediate danger and appears to be because the plotters and potential attackers were still there in that tribal border region, kyra. >> all right. so, let's -- what are u.s. officials actually saying about this now? >> reporter: well, what they're saying is that a mumbai-style attack is the sort of nightmare scenario for attacking, you know, what we would call soft targets rather than hard structures like government buildings and such and airport that is have tightened security. this sort of attack, hotels, potentially shopping malls as we have seen in britain, is softer and easier to target. and people trying to plan and perpetrate the attack that is are just using small explosives, hand grenade, automatic weapons to sort of track down and

interdict, if you will, than people trying to build bombs as we have seen them trying to build homemade bombs. th nazi partially tracked buying large amounts of hydrogen peroxide to make explosives. that kind of stuff tipping off authorities and appear that is al qaeda is changing tactics and what u.s. counterterrorism experts fearing and concerns about right now. >> got i. we'll stay on the story. we appreciate it. update on several developing stories ft starting with the allegations of sexual coercion against eddie long. one of the young men accusing him has a message for the former pastor. jamal paris spoke to wgau saying, quote, that man cannot look me in the eye and tell me we did not live this pain. while you can sit in front of the church and the el team you categorically deny it? you can't say that to our face

and you know this. you are not a man. you are a monster. parris and three other men filed lawsuits accusing long of using power and influence within the baptist church to lure them into sex acts. long's spokesperson says that the pastor denies the allegations calling the charges a shakedown for money. classes will resume today at the university of texas at austin. a day after a student opened fire on campus. police say 19-year-old colton tooley randomly fired shots from an ak-47 before killing himself. no one else was hurt but the gun fire sent students and employees running for cover. former president karlter spent the night in a cleveland hospital with an upset stomach but he's not letting that keep him from his book tour. he's scheduled to appear at a signing in d.c. tonight. the family says he is doing fine and that he checked in as a precaution. the former president turns 86 on friday. president obama's in the middle of a four-state tour

pushing the economic agenda and encouraging democrats to vote in november but the talk turned personal at a town hall-style event in new mexico when a woman asked the president about his faith. >> so i came to my christian faith later in life and it was because the preceps of jesus christ spoke to me about the kind of life i would want to lead. being my brothers and sisters' treating others as they would treat me. i think, also, understanding th that, you know, that jesus christ dying for my sins spoke to the hue timility we have to as human beings. we are sinful and make mistakes

and we are flawed and that we -- we achieve salvation through the grace of god. >> president obama's faith and democratic voters may be tested right now as he aims to rally the base ahead of the mid-term elections. cnn's suzanne malveaux joins us from des moines, iowa, where the president will be speaking this afternoon. >> reporter: kyra, the president's heard variety of questions of folks. a young man asking about the fact that his father's a veteran and has not received a treatment and he broke down and cried. the president gave him a big hug, said it's okay to be emotional about these kinds of things. all kind of things the people want to ask the president. big moments was yesterday at madison when about 26,000 students gathered in an overflow crowd at the university to convey to the president that they were still behind him. i had a chance to talk to some students and very clear, however, kyra, not that kind of

wild excitement from the campaign two years ago, that they have to really be patient for the president's promises to come to fruition. the president acknowledged, he said, look. this is not a time to get beyonce and bono out there campaigning with us but that he is trying and that it's really important for the young voters to come out in the mid-term elections and the way to full till the agenda. as i said before, some of the students said, yes, they'll go ahead and participate five weeks from now. others not so sure and at least coming out to take a listen to what the president had to say. kyra? >> how does the white house actually choose the families that host these backyard events, suzanne? >> reporter: well, one of the advantages, kyra, of being here at 4:30 in the morning had a chance to talk to the couple, jeff and sandy club. this is their home behind us here. and the white house doesn't really give away a lot of information but they did. they said a week ago they got a

call from a white house advance staffer said they were one of eight families considered and both completely baffled by this because, yes, they voted for obama and not big fund-raisers. you know, they're not big in the community when it comes to politics. they got the call. said that they had been chosen and they asked why and they said, well, because of your backyard. it's a beautiful backyard. it's a lot of oak trees, elms, evergreens, this kind of thing and so they're hosting their neighbors and it was fun because we actually saw them early this morning. they were trying to hide their cat, figure out where to put the cat so the cat doesn't interfere with the event with the president. i talked to jeff club who said this is winning the lottery and didn't have to do anything and there are 85 chairs to fill and they were told invite your neighbors, invite your friends, family. doesn't matter what the political affiliation is. it's okay. and so, they're filling the chairs with family and friends. and there was even one republican neighbor, they're

bringing their own chairs that brought a chair and said, look, you know, i don't have to show up but it's the president of the united states. please take my chair and have my chair represent me here at this event. and they had a family reunion. jeff club said, look, the family coming in on friday. they decided to move it up three days and flown in the parents, the sister, all of them are coming. they're going to be filling the seats asking the president some questions and really interesting, fascinating how this is coming about and they were as shocked as anybody to find out that they had been chosen. >> yeah. i can just imagine. oh my god. we need to plant and mow. what about the cat? major stress when you have the president rolling in. suzanne, thanks. well, he is known for his pranks and undercover antics and now a young conservative activist that posed as a pimp trying to run a prank on cnn with a hidden camera. didn't work. hi, a number two please?

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posing as a pimp and making undercover videos. remember that? conservative activist james o'keefe is back at the pranks again. cnn was the target.

before that, let's remind you of the antics. last year o'keefe and a fellow conservative dressed up in a sting operation to uncover alleged wrongdoing at a.c.o.r.n. a group that advocated for low and middle income people and worked to register voters. o'keefe and the other visited several offices describing the business and they taped workers allegedly giving advice on setting up a brothel aer own advice how to skirt the law. >> i intend to use the profit from the tricks, the girls perform, to fund -- >> do you think every single -- do you think every congressman, every legislator, do you think that even obama, you know, or the president -- >> right. >> -- or any of them, ever, ever actually put down every single resource where they got their money? >> well, looks like the workers fell for the sting, hook, line and sinker and prosecutors in new york and california eventually found no evidence of

wrongdoing by a.c.o.r.n. and the california investigation found that the videos heavily edited. o'keefe taped associates entering the new orleans office of senator landrieu posing as a telephone repairman and arrested for that one. pleaded guilty of entering an office under false pretenses. for more than six months, cnn has been working on a documentary that follows a group of young conservative political activists and wanted to learn more about the movement and their message. frustrated with the mainstream media, many of them use social media and undercover cameras to expose what they consider corruption. the cameras were almost turned on it. abbey boudreau with the details. >> james o'keefe is best known for the role dressing up as a pimp and james called me. he wanted to talk about an

upcoming shoot that he was going to be there for and we were scheduled to be a part of and we were going to be there to film it for the documentary. he had concerns of cnn being there. he wanted the talk to me face to face and in person meeting to go over the concerns and so he called up and said, can you meet me and one of my colleagues izzy in maryland and please come alone. and i said, yes. >> okay. so red flags didn't go up at that point. >> always at that point. >> right. >> but you're a reporter. i'm a reporter. we want people to feel comfortable in a meeting. >> sure. >> i did agree to go and luckily i had a flip cam with me and after the so-called cam, i recorded what had just happened. when i pulled up to the property, izzy was waiting for me. she said, i need to talk to you. can i get in the car? and i was like, okay. so i noticed that she had like a little bit of dirt on her face, the lip shaking.

she seemed really uncomfortable. and i asked her if she was okay. and the first thing that she basically said to me was, i'm not recording you. i'm not recording you. are you recording me? i was -- no. she says, i need to tell you something. i said, okay, is everything okay? you're making me nervous. she said, no. no. not everything. everything's not okay. i am a moral person. i need to tell you something. what is about to happen? tell me what is going on. she said, you're about to be punk'd. izzy told me the plan was to be close to the dock and ask to consent to have the meeting with james recorded on an audio recorder. if i said, yes she would get me on the boat where james was waiting and hidden video cameras were recorded. why get me on the boat? she said, because, on the boat he's going to be there, dressed up and he's going to have

strawberries and champagne waiting for you. and he was going to hit on you the whole time. she said the sole purpose of the punk to embarrass me and cnn. i went to the backyard to see the boat for myself and to try to meet james. but he didn't get off the boat so i walked back to my car. then, right before i left, james walked up to me and explained that it would make him feel more comfortable if the so-called interview were recorded. that's just not something i'm comfortable with is to have a conversation recorded and plus not an interview. i'm just here to try to address your concerns about this upcoming shoot but you ended up wanting me to come out here. you told me we were going to be at your office and instead come on some boat with you. and you wanted it to be recorded. those are ground rules you should have said over the phone and he was like, what are you ashamed of? that's when i said, all right. this is where the conversation

ends. and i said to him, you know, it was a pleasure. >> gosh. so, just imagine what wouf happened if she didn't tip you off. she said she has a moral comp s compass. but why do you think she did this? i mean, you have talked to her since then, right? >> yeah. that's pretty much the story. she feels like at first she did say maybe punk'g a cnn reporter would be funny and maybe get her talking about fox news or something like that but when she received the plan, the full plan, which there's more to this than you saw, she said there's no way she was going to go through with it. >> tell me more about the full plan. what did james o'keefe say about this, as well? >> well, the full plan is 13-page document called "the cnn caper" document and divided into two parts. first part is how to punk cnn and trick cnn into reporting a

false story. either about sarah palin or the tea party movement and then giving fox news a heads up of what we were about to report as a false story. so that they could quote unquote pounce and undercut cnn's credibility. that's the first part. second part is about how to punk me specifically. how to seduce me on this boat and the document, it lists off all of the kinds of props the boat was staged with. naked pictures of women, posters. et cetera, et cetera. >> have you thought about if you got on that boat what you would have done? >> socked him between the eyes and pushed him off the boat? >> i never would have gotten on the boat because part of me getting on the boat i would have had to agreed to have been taped and i was not comfortable with that. >> sure. >> yeah. >> i mean, the whole thing is fishy. all right. so the pattern with other young conservatives that you followed, similar, totally different? you know, what do they think about james o'keefe? >> right. we followed a lot of young

conservatives for the documentary. this is a strange turn that this documentary took. the other people that we followed are very passionate, young people. whether you. >> 'gree or totally disagree with what they feel and their beliefs, they -- they're just passionate and excited group of young people and just let me add one other thing. we added a statement from james o'keefe. he says that is not my work product. i immediately found certain elements highly objectionable and inappropriate and did not consider them for one minute following it. to be clear, the mentor and fellow activist is listed as the writer, james is listed as the activist, the person to have acted out this role. >> hmm. so is there more to this? >> so much more. so much more to this. and it will all be revealed in the documentary. >> great. we look forward to it. thanks so much. >> thank you. all right. and that documentary is going to air -- when exactly is it?

>> saturday. >> this saturday. there we go. "right on the edge." 8:00 and 11:00, twice, right? saturday -- twice on saturday? >> twice on saturday, twice on sunday. >> gotcha. okay. thanks. well, there are ten super foods that can keep you from getting sick an our dr. sanjay gupta is going shopping for them and you're going to come along and learn with him. financing their fleet, sharing our expertise, and working with people who are changing the face of business in america. after 25 years in the aviation business, i kind of feel like if you're not having fun at what you do, then you've got the wrong job. my landing was better than yours. no, it wasn't. yes, it was. was not. yes, it was. what do you think? take one of the big ones out? nah. let's raise a glass to cookies just out of the oven. to the morning bowl of cereal. and to lactaid® milk.

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cnn's taken a crisscross country food journey this week. our mission is to get fresh answers about how our food is grown, how the choices we make impact our health, our state of mind, our budgets and the pure joy of eating so we teamed up with the new food destination to bring you this and we're looking at ten foods that can help your body fight off illness. our dr. sanjay gupta takes us shopping for them. >> reporter: you've probably seen the lists. super foods. the ten foods you should eat every single day. what is it about super foods? what makes them so super? can they protect you? or do they prevent you from getting sick? let's take a look. come on. hey, ann. >> hi, how are you?

>> reporter: thank you for meeting us. hanging out by the fruit, the berries. to pick one fruit out of these, what would you say is the ideal super food and why? >> blueberries are the ideal super food and it's because of the dark, rich color and more anti-ox dapt idants in it and g for memory, eye health and may lower bad cholesterol. >> reporter: berries on the list of super foods. leafy greens is what we talk about all the time. what about them? >> dark green color lets you know it's got a lot of nutrients in it. great source of calcium and fiber. >> reporter: there's foods good for you. what makes a food superer? >> it is nutrient dense food and does more for you with less calories. if you start replacing some of the those bad eating habits with fruits and vegetables, it can help but loading it down with

unhealthy choice, it is not the best choice. >> reporter: can the foods act like medicines in the sense they can decrease inflammation, decrease your cholesterol? things like that? >> there are some studies that show some of the foods can do that. but it's also part of our lifestyle to get, as well. >> reporter: sweet to tpotatoes the list? >> yes. one of the healthiest foods you can eat. packs with nutrients. deep orange color lets you know of vitamin a and great for eyes and skin. >> reporter: fish is i know very much on your list. >> the fatty cold-water fish with the healthy fat to fight infla face and salmon, hall butte, tuna, sardines and herring great fish with omega-3s in them. >> reporter: hearing that you might think, great. i don't have a market like this. a lot of people don't. but you can get a lot of foods frozen and even canned. keep in mind eat those super

foods with the healthy diet in general. every now and then even get a little bit of exercise. back to you. >> all right. we want the know about your school lunches now. are they like something out of a horror movie? maybe mystery meat or delightful and wonderful like benji the movie? go to my blog or twitter me. tell me what was on your tray back in the day. hi.

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americans see the economic glass as half full. that's never good news for wall street. alison kosik is watching it all for us at the new york stock exchange. hi. >> hi, kyra. how we feel about the economy directly affects what happens right here on wall street. and yesterday, we learned that consumer confidence, it hit a seven-month low. so, yes, we are starting off

slightly lower but meantime gold prices continue to be on a tear. hitting another record high this morning. $1,314 an ounce. the problem is, that wall street doesn't know where the economy is headed at this point so investors, they're gravitated toward investments with more safety, a little more certainty like gold or bonds. gold prices are up more than 30% compared to last year. two years after the government handed out billions of dollars in bailouts, officials are now trying to figure out an exit strategy. government and aig officials are reportedly meeting today. the focus, how the treasury can gradually reduce the stake in the insurer. taxpayers own almost 80% of aig. all right. we are a couple of minutes into the trading day. the dow industrials down about 31. nasdaq off about 8. kyra, this is your favorite topic, maybe. twitter. it seems everybody's on it these days and new numbers prove it. twitter surpassed myspace for the number three social

networking site. twitter had 96 million visitors last month. i tell you what, takes a lot to unseat the number one company, facebook. it had almost 600 million visitors in august. i know you are quite the tweeter. >> are you just totally called me out. a minute ago i said twitter me. tweet me. what can i say? i'm learning. i'm a little behind the times and i have help with my page, by the way. full disclosure. thanks, alison. >> sure. jobless and overpaid. sounds like an oxymoron. people in north carolina who are getting jobless benefits paid too much and now they have to give some of that money back. the state began sending out letters last week to about 38,000 people who were improperly paid unemployment benefits. some weren't paid enough and most were paid too much and now they'll get less from the state each month until the difference is made up leaving many people

wondering how to make ends meet. >> i don't feel like i am looking very stressed about it but i don't know where i'm going to get my rent money this month. >> we are talking about a very discrete number of people in a discrete amount of money and we are very transparent of making sure the individuals are paid properly. >> people who were underpaid get reimbursed. the state blames the mistake on an accounting problem. tony danza has taken us on a taxi ride and made us ask "who's the boss?" ♪ ♪ there is more to life than what you're living ♪ ♪ so take a chance ♪ brand new life around the bend ♪ >> well, if you think of him as a hunt i can housekeeper, wait until you check out the latest role. it's not acting. it's real life. he spent a year teaching tenth graders in philadelphia high

school as part of a reality show. and it wasn't easy. >> are you nervous? >> i'm terrified. >> maybe you should wear more undershirts. >> yeah, yeah. i know. >> i'm very concerned he is not qualified to be an english teacher. >> you are right. how about that? you are 100% right. you think you know so much and then you find out you don't know nothing. >> if this doesn't work, you're out of here. okay? >> well, that was a clip from his new show and he says of the a bumpy road that sometimes led to tears, his own. here's what he told john roberts about self doubt as he hit the books. >> a lot of crying we see is you expressing self doubt. >> oh, yeah. >> it's like i don't know if i can take it. >> i thought i made a mistake, john. sounds like a -- like the guy that jumped out of the window. it felt like that. i wanted the show what a teacher

really goes through, what a first-year teacher -- i want to know what a first-year teacher goes through. i wanted to do something. i'm getting -- i'm almost 60. i want to do something with myself and then, boom, i was there. and i was going through all the -- here's a weird thing. i just remembered. you made me think of this. i kept hearing the kids are so great. the kids are so great and then go to the seminars and hear, you know, like what happens if this happens? and it would scare me. i started to think maybe the teachers are delusional and trying to fool me or something. but i felt like i maybe made a mistake and might let the kids down and make a fool of myself on tv or intellect would be on display. i mean, it is like a -- it was crazy. >> well, his year at the head of the classroom is documented in the series "teach" premiers friday sock p.m. eastern on a&e. and launched behindtheburner.com.

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all right. try to imagine darth vader, luke skywalker jabba the hut or any of those battle scenes in 3d because soon you won't have to. >> boring conversation, anyway. luke, we're going to get company! ♪ >> aren't you a little short for a storm trooper? >> huh? oh, the uniform. i'm luke skywalker. i'm here to rescue you. >> 2012, wow, so long ago, director george lucas rereleasing the six-film series in 3d. look for the studio to release each film in order in consecutive years. lucas says that the success of avatar convinced him to push ahead with "star wars" in 3d.

there will be a panel hearing of the release of the pan am bomber. he was released last year because he had cancer and wasn't likely to live more than a few months. he is still alive. former president carter staying in a cleveland hospital at least for now. carter that turning 86 friday suffered an upset stomach on a book tour. bp shaking up management following the gulf oil disaster. the company also launching a new safety and operational risk unit.

all right. let's check in with our politics. that's paul steinhauser at the desk there. what do you have for us? >> i'm at the desk.

talk about former president bill clinton, kyra. been on the campaign trail a lot this campaign season and seeing more of the former president next month. the former president's going out to washington state to campaign with patty murray, democratic senator out there. bidding for a fourth term. that story is brand new right now this morning. on the cnn political ticker. again, we're going to see more of bill clinton. kyra, you get the story first. i'm writing it. west virginia, if the republicans, if they win back the senate, one of the places to do it is west virginia where a democratic seat held for over 50 years by the late senator byrd, there's a big battle there right now. the democratic governor manchin is a special candidate. the republican nominee raci and new ads on both sides nasty there in west virginia. we'll keep our eyes on that contest. again, if the republicans, if they win back control of the senate, one of the places to do it may be west virginia. talk about a rock star from new

jersey. not springsteen or bon jovi. saw him last year in concert. very good. chris christie. the republican governor of the state and he's really turning into a republican rock star. he's been the man in demand on the campaign trail this year for republicans just like clinton for the democrats in a way. and we're learning from republican sources that christie's right here in washington today to kind of give a pep talk to house republicans just before they close it out and head back on the campaign trail. remember last year, christie pulled a big upset in the election beating out the democratic jon corzine. a lot more stuff on the ticker. kyra, back to you right now. >> sounds good. thanks, paul. remind tore go to cnnpolitics.com. for months we have talked about the tragedy and outrage of bullying in the schools. especially the kind that targets kids who may be struggling with their sexual orientation. coming up next, i'll tell you about what we think about bullying on the next level. the state official using his

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all right. for months we have talked about the tragedy and outrage of bullying in school, especially a kind that targets kids who might be struggling with their sexual orientation. at least two kids this school year allegedly bullied to the point of suicide. seems like we are picking up where we left off last year. next hour, you'll hear from some gay students fighting back. but this next story isn't about grade school and high school kids. take a listen to this. in michigan, you actually have the assistant attorney general using his blog to slam the openly gay president of the university of michigan student government. for the past six months, andrew shirval alleged a -- seducing and influencing a male student to the point where the student

morphed into a proponent of the radical homosexual agenda. hosting a day orgy in the dorm room. anderson cooper had a chance to challenge the assistant attorney general last night. >> i'm doing this as a private citizen. off work time. as a university of michigan alum. we're quibbling over tactics. we are not quibbling over substance. the substance of the matter, anderson, he is a radical homosexual activist elected partly funded by the gay and lesbian victory fund to promote a very deeply radical agenda at the university of michigan. >> first of all, sir, you're not no school anymore. second of all, the students elected this guy president. if there's real problems, can't they just handle it? i just think there's something very wrong with the state official taking a beating like this on a college kid in a public forum like you're doing

and harping on his sexuality. to me this just seems like bullying on another level. funny how michigan's attorney general can't put enough distance between his office and the other. he told cnn that the personal opinions are his and his alone but the quote is immaturity jud are clear. you bet they are. maybe he'll be as classy as his boss one day. all right, here's a look at what we're working on in the next hour. let's go to capitol hill first. >> food fight in congress. michelle obama is running into a block from her own democrats in the battle over what our kids should be eating at school. we'll have that story at the top of the hour. >> the severe weather center, your hurricane headquarters where tropical storm nicole has yet to come. but the depression itself is big and sloppy circulation. a lot of rain and flooding issues. that's in the next hour. >> also next hour, gay kids not taking it anymore.

we're going to show you their pro active approach to the people who reject them and the bullies who torment them. in 2008 i quit venture capital to follow my passion for food. i saw a gap in the market for a fresh culinary brand and launched behindtheburner.com. we create and broadcast content and then distribute it across tv, the web, and via mobile. i even use the web to get paid. with acceptpay from american express open, we now invoice advertisers and receive payments digitally. and i get paid on average three weeks faster. booming is never looking for a check in the mail.

because it's already in my email.

cnn has taken a cross country food journey this week and we sent reporting teams to every corner of america and beyond. our mission, to get fresh answers about how our food is grown and how the choices we make impact our health and state of mind and budgets and just the pure chore of eating. so we teamed up with the new cnn.com food destination to bring you mind, body and wallet and looking at eating right on a tight budget. it's pretty tough, just ask the university of washington researchers. they found that calorie for calorie, junk food costs way less than fruits and veggies. we already know. that the healthy stuff is getting more and more expensive. in the seattle area, red apples cost 99 cents per pound in 2004. by 2008, that jumped an entire dollar. the prices of vending machine fare have held steady. so we've given nutritionists a mission. give moms a grocery list without

breaking her budget. this is what we got. >> hi. i'm the mother of two teenage boys, william, he's a senior and he's 17. and winston, he's a sophomore. he's 15. i spend about $250 to $300 every two weeks on groceries. and to me, that's a lot of money. i don't know if it's a boy thing, but i find that they really eat a lot. and i end up buying a lot more snacks, i think, and a lot more junk to make sure that they have extra stuff. it is a little bit challenging. if i can get things for them but they're healthier and cuts my bill in half, that will be really g i'm going to go and meet with a nutritionist and just try to find some better ways for us to cut down on our grocery bill and eat a little healthier. what do you think? >> good. >> you think that's good? >> yes. >> hey, i'm julie. >> nice to meet you.

>> this will be exciting. >> yeah. >> do you typically have a budget that you try to follow? >> for the most part, we cook every day. >> okay. >> and that actually is a wonderful way to budget. because the more we cook from scratch, by far the less expensive it is. fruits can be actually a very economical way to boost your nutrition and boost your weight loss efforts. it would only cost you $2.50 a day to meet all the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables. >> $2.50 per day per person? >> per person. >> protein is the most expensive part of the meal. so trying to find some good choices for protein but less expensive. you're going to save about 30 cents a pound just to spend five minutes to make your own patty. you're looking at about $31 in the course of a year. serving a baked beans is a lot

cheaper than the fries. another way to save is decrease the amount of protein food we have per person. we got to fill our plate with other foods. often those are more economical and much healthier. one way to save and it doesn't really take that much more time would be instead of using the frozen potatoes is use fresh potatoes. >> okay. >> so you're looking at about three cents per serving versus 17 cents. if you got a ten ounce bag of potato chips, $2.50. it seems like a cheap snack. you can buy four pounds of fiber vitamin c rich red potatoes instead for the same price. so ten ounces versus four pounds. it may be go with carrots which with you get three pounds for the same price. there is a big misconception that healthy eating is expensive. >> right. >> it really doesn't need to be. >> well we checked in to see how things were going since her visit with the nutritionist. she says she's more conscious of the things she's buying and

she's weeding out as many processed foods as she can. but that comes with a tradeoff. more time in the kitchen. if you need advice an how to eat right, go to our website. we have the cnn.com editor with us and she's helping taking the mystery out of the food. >> you've been hearing the word eatocracy. what that means is a food democracy which means that we talk about and celebrate all different kinds of food. and so to help you out so we can all have a great conversation, we have a wonderful section on the site called clarified where we demystify the terms we're using a lot, including things like genetically modified and sustainable and cage free. we can have a tremendous conversation if we're all talking about and using the same language so we all understand what we're doing. we take the fabulous lunch time poll efrz day. we want to know more about your interests in food and how we can help you have a better conversation and eat more cleanly, eat more happily.

we're all about joy of food on eatocracy. led's poll was about peanut bans in school. you know, on another day it is a slightly more fun topic. later to dashgs we're talking about people being asked to pay for their snacks on airplanes. all different kinds of food coverage. we just want it to be useful and healthy and happy for you. so we've also -- we also have a little bit of fun and talk about vending machines stealing your coins sometimes. but we help you come and just come in and enjoy food with us. we're going to have a great conversation. >> all right. thanks so much. >> we're just reaching the top of the hour. we're starting out with healthy lunches for schoolchildren or food for the poor. some house democrats say that they don't want to choose between the two. but the pressure is on. the federal child nutrition program expires tomorrow and it's championed by first lady michelle obama. the senate version of the bill would make more kids eligible for meal programs.

it would establish nutrition standards for food in schools and it would give schools a few extra pennies per meal to make that happen. so white house allies in congress are threatening not to pass it because it would take away billions of dollars set aside for food stamps. here's how the two programs stack up. nearly 41 million americans are now on food stamps. a 50% jump from the start of the recession. but 31 million kids participate in the school lunch program. a lot of those kids depending on their school meal as the only food they'll have all day. we have a reporter on capitol hill. she works for cnn radio and also joins us on occasion. we're very lucky. this is definitely pitting lawmakers against each other. and it's a shame because we're talking about our kids and our kids' health. >> right. all these debates of congress is having and this is such a huge one for the future of the country. and, yet, here they are at a stand still. this is an intense fight because of the issue at hand and also

because many interest groups are involved, i'm talking about the american heart association, huge groups across the spectrum, however this issue is at a stand still now because liberal democrats don't like that the money to help kids in school would come from poor families at home. one of those liberal democrats we talked to yesterday, jim mcgovern from massachusetts. >> look, i want a robust child nutrition re-authorization bill. i want to support the first lady. i don't want to, you know, rob peter to pay paul. i don't want to feed some hungry people by taking away from other hungry people. and that's the choice we're given. it's ironic that the offset for child nutrition is food stamps. you know, i mean you're going to increase nutrition standards for children in school but then you have to take it away from them at home. it just doesn't make any sense to me. >> reporter: you saw him talking to our dana bash here yesterday. and, keera, you know, this fight

is a huge fight over what our kids are eating landed in the middle of dozens of other fights as congress is trying to get out of town for the elections, trying to finish up their business today or tomorrow. it's a mad scramble here tend. >> all right. well, how hard is the first lady really pushing for this? obviously, it's so important for our kids. and what happens if it doesn't get approved by tomorrow? >> reporter: right. try to peel away the curtain at the white house. people here on capitol hill say she is very involved. in fact, some folks in the nutrition arena, some folks who support this bill say it would never have passed the senate, wouldn't have gotten to the senate floor without her help. another sign of michelle obama's reach, other powerful figures in the white house are involved. rahm emanuel, for example, we know called representative mcgovern who you just heard from last week to try and lobby him on this bill. so she's very involved. but she's hitting a wall right now. what happens if this bill doesn't pass, if the authorization expires on the 30th? the truth is, probably not too much.

congress will pass a continuing resolution we expect in the next day. you can never predict for sure with these guys. we expect them to pass a continuing resolution that would essentially keep that program and most all other programs in government at the same level they were at last year. so it will be like a punt. and the next occasion to bring this up would be after congress returns after the elections. right now it looks like that's probably what will happen. >> wow. all right. we're going to stay on top of it, that's for sure. lisa, thanks so much. as it stands now, the federal government pays $2.68 per child per free lunch. so what kind of food can you get for that? take a look at these pictures. they're from a massachusetts teacher who's blog ago none musly as she sits alongside students in the cafeteria eating their school lunches for a year. pretty gross, huh? you're not alone in that feeling. usa today is investigating school meals for months. and these are just some of the headlines that they found. fast food standards for meat top

those for school lunches. thousands of cafeterias lack required inspections. and a recall of tainted beef didn't include school lunches. let's ge to the two reporters who broke a lot of that information while writing the stories. we're bringing them back. guys, great to see you again. and just to kind of recap when all of us talked a number of months ago, i and eating a lot f food. it's amazing. >> so you car how heavy you are,

no matter how long you've been overweight, you are not genetically doomed to be fat. this plan will work for anyone who does it. no matter how much weight you have to lose, you truly can make over your body and be lean and happy for the rest of your life. >> on the six week body makeover i've lost 365 pounds in two years. weight became an issue for me about 11th or 12th grade when i couldn't fit into the seats in the high school. when i graduated from high school i w we stand? >> well, as a result of our story, the usda did tighten the requirements on beef, especially. they raised the stands ardz now to be equal to or above what you're seeing in the fast food restaurants.

what we're trying to find out now from usda is what is the other food that they're buying for schools? you mentioned earlier the issue of the spent hand meat. they had purchased 77 million pounds of that meat. now these are from old egg laying chick thaenz don't lay eggs anymore. the meat is pretty tough and gristly and the campbells soup, for instance, won't buy it for its soup. those are the thing wez want to keep on top of and try to find out as we go forward, does the usda continue to buy these kinds of products or are they going in a different direction, hopefully a better and more wholesome direction. >> peter, what i'm hearing from blake is we still don't know, like, for example, beef, what's being rejected and where it's being purchased from, right? >> well, we know that the new standards that usda put in place are much tougher than the ones they had previously. and it's the first time in ten years that they've overhauled the standards. what we're working on now is trying to determine what is the

effect of the new standards? are they rejected more meat than they were rejecting previously? are they using different suppliers? that is something we're working with usda to pin down. >> got it. and now, you know, we all just heard from lisa there on the hill, doesn't look so good with regard to the child nutritional act. at least something happening right now. blake, why does that concern you? and, you know, what could happen as we continue to wait on that? >> well, one of the things that i think is really important is that no matter what congress does, there are things out there that parents can do. and one of the things we highlighted was the ineffectiveness of the government inspecting cafeterias at schools. cafeterias by law are supposed to be inspected twice a year, just like you would a restaurant. and what's happened at 8500 or so schools around the country is they haven't gotten inspected at all. and one of the things we found was that a lot of the sickness that's we were seeing in schools are caused by a virus, the

stomach flu that is passed from person to person. if you have unclean cafeterias with mouse droppings or workers not trained properly, you're going to see the spread of that illness. the beauty of the law right now is that parents can go to any school in the country and they can ask to see the cafeteria inspection reports. if there isn't one, they can demand that one be done. that's something that people can do no matter what congress does. i think it's something very important. >> that is such great advice. because just knowing that we can do that and have the right to have that access, because, as we know, i mean come on. remember the lunch ladies? they weren't always very friendly in elementary and junior high. there were some tough cookies back there. peter, what is another take away from this? you know, you guys have exposed it all. you're still going to stay on top of the proper institutions to make a difference. you know, what else can we do as parents while we wait on better

legislation and accountability? >> well, a lot of school districts around the country have taken it upon themselves to sort of find ways to insure better safety and better quality in the food that they're providing for their students. you've seen more buy local programs popping up. you see schools starting their own community gardens and trying to teach students about using that kind of food in the meals that they eat every day. parents can push for this stuff. they can get in there and they can try to help their schools along those lines. they can also talk to the schools about what they're buying and where they're getting it from. the federal government provides a lot of the meat and bigger sort of large volume commodities that schools get. but many schools also do a good bit of their buying on their own. and that's where parents can get in there and they can say who are you buying from? what are you getting? they can put on pressure and really make a difference. >> peter and blake, great reporting for "usa today." guys, thanks so much. i look forward to your next reports. >> thanks for having us. >> you bet.

school lunches are the hot topic on our blog today. here's some of the treats and nightmares that you shared with me so far. josh says i remember purple and poorly breaded chicken fries that tasted like deep fried mayonnaise and the schools' attempts fried clam nuggets. connie says in 1974 we moved to rural louisiana. first day of school the cafeteria served flying saucers. it was a piece of fried about a lone y bologna topped with mashed potatoes. our school served salsa, corn chips, sour cream and cheese dip and called it a healthy meal because the basic food groups were included and vegetables were offered. this comes from another connie. i grew up in columbus, georgia, we had the best school lunches. fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, peach cobbler and yeast rolls and it only cost 35 cents. we love hearing from you. log on to cnn.com/kyra to post

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take a look at these images, buried cars and destroyed buildings. it's a result of landslides in northern mexico. initial estimates put the dead and missing at 1,000 now. mexican rescuers can not confirm that anyone died and list only about a dozen people as missing. days of heavy rain and remnants of tropical storm matthew caused the landslides. as bad as it looks, more rain on the way. we have problems with the upper midwest as well. you're covering the entire country for us and then some. >> and then mexico as wellment good news for that part of mexico. they're starting to dry out a little bit. we're watching tropical

depression number 16 which really is a big ole mess. look at this circulation. it's huge. the center of it, the national hurricane sent her a hard time pinpointing it. now it's moved it back to just about to move on shore to cuba. regardless of that, just torrential rains across cuba, jamaica and, yes, across florida. and some of the rains made it to the carolinas. here's the forecast track. still forecasting it to become a tropical storm. the name would be nicole. getting across southern florida later on this afternoon and tonight. and then getting over towards the carolinas in some way, shape or form. a weak tropical storm tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow night. that's going to create problems. we have tropical storm warnings up in anticipation for this across parts of southern florida. and look at the rain. all the way up to melbourne, florida. this is steady and in some cases heavy. does it stretch into the carolinas already. so in these areas, we already have some flooding going on. you had over a foot of rain in wilmington, north carolina.

they're under flash flood warnings. four to eight inches of potential more rainfall with this system up the east coast. it will get up to upstate new york as well. so everybody on the east coast already water logged. getting a piece of what could become tropical storm nicole. kyra? >> thanks, rob. a german citizen is giving details about a potential terror plot in europe. the man was detained in afghanistan and is now in u.s. custody. a german official says that there were no indications of imminent attacks. classes resume at the university of texas austin. the school shut down after a major -- or a math major opened fire with an assault riflrifle. the 19-year-old shot himself. jimmy carter flb a hospital for a day or so. carter who turns 86 on friday suffered an upset stomach while on a book tour. most people take a daily dose of mouth wash and that's a good thing. the fda says three companies that produce mouth wash, johnson & johnson, cvs and walgreens

make claims they can't back up. it wants to put a stop to it. among other things, they say that their products help remove plaque or prevent gum disease. the fda says if so, prove it. if not, they say the companies have 15 days to correct the problem or face civil or criminal penalties. and they're throwing back more than a couple beers in germany. >> what is the average beer consumption a day at the oktoberfest? >> ten of them. >> as he stumbles through that description. the world's largest beer party. but, believe it or not, it's not all about the beer. after using rogaine for a while, i went to my stylist and she said hair was growing back... i was like, yes, this works... [ male announcer ] only rogaine is proven to regrow hair in 85% of guys. puhh puhh puhh putt and that's it.

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well, it's one brewsky after another in germany. people filling the beer tents and their beeg mugs. it's oktoberfest. but this year it's something

pretty special. it's the 200th anniversary of the festival. cnn's diana magnate was there. >> reporter: these costumes you wouldn't normally see at munich's oktoberfest. but if you've been to the very first festival in 1810, this is what you might have worn. and here's how you might have danced. and now i need to see the way the girls do it. their special jubilee brew on sale to market the oktoberfest's 200th anniversary. how many have you had? >> one. >> reporter: this woman says she likes the fact that it's strong. >> gets you higher. >> reporter: gets you higher,

she tells me. >> they've been running the festival for 5 years. this year she's expecting around six million visitors, 10% more than normal. and oktoberfest is already a gold mine for munich. >> we have an economic value up nearly $900 million euro. everybody in munich is in this area. it means more than 300 million euro spent here in the festival. >> reporter: and, of course, the beer. one of these will set you back some $12. and most people don't stop at one. >> what is your average beer consumption a day at the oktoberfest? >> oh, ten of them. >> reporter: how many have you had so far? >> five.

>> reporter: good work. good work. >> i'm getting there. >> reporter: good luck with the rest. will you be standing on the table at the end? >> yes! yes! >> reporter: but it's not all about the alcohol. >> it's having all of us together in one place and everybody celebrating without having trouble or so. so it's really nice. >> reporter: millions of international visitors raising a glass together, celebrating a very bavarian tradition. cnn, munich. >> all right. we'll have to put the beer mugs away now and get pretty serious. bullying seems to be an epidemic these days. we're going to show you how kids are taking a pro active approach to the people who reject them and the bullies who torment them. [ woman ] alright, so this tylenol 8 hour lasts 8 hours.

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personal pricing now on brakes. tell us what you want to pay. we do our best to make that work. deal! my money. my choice. my meineke. one of the young men accusing eddie long of sexual i

could ergs has a message for his former pastor. jamal paris spoke to a local tv station. >> that man cannot look me in my eye and tell me we did not live this pain. you can sit in front of the church and tell them that you categorically deny it, you can't say that to our face. you know this. you are not a man. you a monster. >> paris and three other men filed lawsuits accusing long of using his power and influence within the new birth missionary baptist church to lure them into sexual situations. long's attorney released this statement. "unfortunately, the plaintiff and counsel counsel are attempting to try the case in the media. the appropriate place to try lawsuits is in the courtroom. there are rules in how civil litigation is to take place and how counsel should conduct themselves. we intend to follow those rules." all through the past school year we reported on school kids bullied to the point of suicide. some just torments for the hell of it. others bullied for sexual

orientation, real or perceived. sadly, it looks like we're picking up right where we left off. at least two cases already and it's still september. in houston, last week, an eighth grader, asher brown, went home and shot himself to death. his parents claimed that bullies tormented him for two years. then there's a facebook page called rip asher brown. about 1700 people have stopped there to -- or rest in peace, rather, asher brown. people have gone there to show respects and leave comments. and in greensburg, indiana, earlier this month, 15-year-old billy lucas hanged himself in his family's barn. others have said that billie was bullied starting in the first grade, tormented because other kids thought he was gay. >> the state of indiana already has bullying laws on the books. one lawmaker believes that they need to be stronger. so we want to know what else is being done to stop and prevent this very real problem. we found an organization in

hartford, connecticut, where teachers counsellors and kids are learning to accept gay and lesbian kids with the struggling with gender identity. kids rejected by their friends and their families. here's their story. what are the stereypes we deal with? >> lesbians after a day and move in two weeks later. >> gay men can't play sports or football. they can't do anything that is identified towards masculinity. >> men speak in high voices. >> gay people like every person they see. >> theret reason why we have hiv. >> reporter: if you think your life is difficult, imagine being a gay teen. >> i get called names. i get called faggot. and sometimes people throw things at me at school. nobody does anything about it. i got hit with a bottle outside. somebody threw a bottle at me. >> kamora hairington or the gay fairy godmother is the daughter of activists. she is bi-racial and gay and

never holds back. >> your mother can love the heck out of you. your father can love the heck out of you. but if they haven't walked the same walk, they don't know what it's like to be discriminated against because of your sexuality. >> kamora is helping these at risk teens identify with being lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans gender. >> who you are is not wrong. that's who you are. >> this is true colors. a rare teen mentoring program that gives gay teens who have been abandoned, rejected, or discriminated against a sank wary. >> i love my kids. they've been so beaten up by the world. they don't know how to put the best face forward. >> no matter your color, background, and sexual preference, in this place, everyone is treated equally and taught as kamora puts it, to walk their truth. >> i think it's really just like that sense of family. when i met kamora, the first

thing she did is said hi and gave me a hug. >> true colors just makes you feel like you're -- how do you say this? they make you feel like someone. i don't want to make anyone feel bad, but they make you feel better. >> this is more of a family here than your biological families? >> absolutely. >> almost all of these teens go from one foster home to the next. products of families that have either disowned them or just can't get understand their sexuality. >> my parents are very well off. they're very wealthy. my brothers, actually, my two brothers still live with my parents. the only reason why i was put into a foster care is because my parents were not accepting of my sexuality. >> their stories are heartbreaking. >> i go between foster homes. some work, some are well off. my family members are also very religious which puts me in a bad

spot. >> if i'm straight, then i'm good. that's what i figure. i had a girl and had sex with her and she got pregnant. she said i want to marry you. i said, sweetie, i'm gay. and then he is -- and then she punched me in my face. >> and that was it? >> and then she avoided me. >> true confessions here. >> yes. >> a rare lighthearted moment in a complex discussion marked more with stories of pain and prejudice. >> i don't know if words would hurt me that much. but the looks on people's face would. my father. >> i would be really scared to just, you know, go outside and talk to my friends. >> were you scared of going outside into your community because you were gay? >> yeah. >> i was blown away by all the different backgrounds. these kids have been forced into prostitution, rejected by family for religion reasons, they've lived in all black neighborhoods and as a black male they don't feel comfortable saying they're

gay. they've been threatened by family members that they'd be killed for being gay. how do you handle all that? >> because there's a need. because true colors exists to create a world where our kids are affirmed and allowed to go off and be who they are. and i get to be here to do this. as the gay community, many of us have been ostracized by our birth families. we had to live and depend on this extended family model. this is a wonderful place where through a program i can share that piece of my culture with my kids and say, hey this is who we are. we've got our leaders and honestly, every last one of you in here is a leader. you have impressed the heck out of me. my leaders are here. laud, yeah! yell it loud. when we get to stereotypes, loud. spunky, posh, laughter. i don't see gay. i don't see lesbian. i don't see tag yacht. i don't see dike. that is not our main identity. that's what other people put on us. we're way more than that. >> way more empowered. >> i know he put me on this

earth for a reason. i'm here for a reason. i'm here also to make a difference. >> far more ready to walk their truth. >> it's about concentrating on the parts that is not gay, you know, how to develop ourselves, how to shape ourselves so we can become strong, independent people. it won't matter if someone says, hey, you're a fag, you're a dike. zint m it don't matter to us. and you're straight. big deal. >> this week a group is suggesting legislation to help protect lbgt kids. we're trying to figure out why kids act the way they do towards the lbgt community. the author of "the right to be out" will be fighting for legislation much he's joining us now to talk. hi, stewart. >> hi. how are you? >> good to see you. you know, you were a teacher for many years. and you dealt with all types of students. do you remember these kids being picked on specifically?

were there certain moment that's really touched you, moved you, to where you wanted to make a difference? >> i think that there's so many examples and so many different ways of students who are being badly mistreated. faculty complicity, teachers looking the other way. and at the same time, you have so many people and education communities who don't even want to talk about this issue. >> and why is that? because some schools are really good at handling this -- these issues and teachers and administrators and other kids. and other schools are just so incredibly insensitive. >> many schools are doing wonderful jobs. but in many other places, the culture is such that people are hoping these issues will go away. of course, when you have problems, you have to be able to talk about them. >> you write about educators and administrators being nervous about this issue. why?

>> i think school culture changes with great difficulty. school culture is slower to change. >> tell me about the legislation recommendation that's you're making. that you're going to make starting tomorrow once all these heavy hitter come together. >> we're hoping to have legislation that targets bullying specifically and also targets harassment between and among students of all races, ethnicities oregonentations. we're also hoping to increase the protection against discrimination. so much of the problem has to do with discriminatory discipline where gay and lesbian kids who report mistreatment are treated differently and often blamed at the cost of blaming the victim. >> tell me what you're recommending specifically.

does every school have a support group? is it encouraging gay teachers and administrators to come out? because there are so many different ideas that have been talked about that never implemented. >> we recommend a menu of options. there are many different things that communities can choose from in our list of recommendations. educators can play a very important role but too often there is pressure on them to stay closeted. >> so are you recommending more programs in schools? >> programs, there are many proven programs. there are also other programs that help prevent the sorts of horrific tragedies that you were just reporting on. >> yeah. and we are waiting for the day that we don't have to report on

those types of stories. that it's way more positive in schools for these kids. stewart beagle, appreciate your time today. we'll follow the conference. >> thank you. bullying in our schools and now online. why do kids do it? what can be done to put an end to it? an ""ac 360" report you cannot miss. it is the promise that compels us to make the journey from wonder to discovery. the science of chemistry, our guide. the human element, our conscience. and to make this journey, we have become the new order of hunters and gatherers. finding answers in the elements. and a way forward illuminated by hope.

live pictures out of washington, d.c. a hearing is being held on the release of pan am flight bomber from a scottish prison last year. you know, it's been 22 years since that bombing and that flight over lockerbie, scott canned. 270 people were killed, most of them americans. he cheated those innocent passengers of their lives and now this terrorist is cheating his own death and justice. remember this video? we were appalled when he got

this heroes welcome as he landed in libya. he was released on compassionate grounds to go home and die after being diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer. he was supposed to die within months. but doctors say he may live for more than ten years which brings us to today and this hearing. senators want more justification for why a terrorist like this should remain free. checking top stories. new information on a terror not that has officials in u.s. and europe on alert. al qaeda may be plotting commando style raids on so-called soft targets. intelligence officials say a captured german citizen has given them information about a potential plot in europe. in san bruno, california, the natural gas fire claimed at life. a 58-year-old man is now the eighth victim.

and bp is shaking up management following the gulf oil disaster. they're also launching a new safety and operational risk unit. we just told but fight against school bullies. now i want to talk about what i think about bullying on a different level. take a listen to this. in michigan, you have an assistant attorney general using his blog to slam an openly gay president at the university of michigan student government. for the past six months, andrew shavrel is accusing him of influencing a male student to the point where the student morphed into a proponent of the radical homosexual agenda. posting a gay orgy in the dorm room and trying to recruit freshmen. anderson cooper challenged the assistant attorney general.

>> i'm doing this as a private citizen off work time as a university of michigan alum. we're quibbling over tactics. we're not quibbling over substance. the substance of the matter is chris armstrong is a radical homosexual activist who got elected partly funded by the gay and lesbian victory fund to promote a very deeply radical agenda at the university of michigan. >> first of all, mr. shir dg ve you're not in school anymore. second of all, the students elected this guy president. if there are problems, can't they handle it? i think there is something wrong for a official beating up on a college kid. funny how michigan's attorney general can't put enough distance between himself and shirvell. he says shirvell's opinions are his and his alone. maybe he'll be as classy as his boss one day.

mystery solved about sarah palin being booed on "dancing with the stars." our political update reveals the answer next. today just seemed like a great day to save. oh, it's not just today. with our free loyalty program, you earn great stuff like accident forgiveness and bigger discounts just by staying with us. oh! ooh! so, what you're saying is, it gets even better with age. oh! tell me we're still talking about insurance. rewarding loyalty. now, that's progressive. call or click today.

mark preston, what is it crossing? >> good morning. fresh off the political ticker, new numbers on the war in afghanistan. what do americans think about the war in afghanistan? well, cnn has this new poll out in the last couple hours, 39% of americans favor -- excuse me, favor the war in afghanistan while 58% oppose the war in afghanistan. why is it such a big political

problem for democrats and the obama administration? well, when you break down ideological lines, it shows that only 20% of democrats support the war. this is down nine points from a cnn opinion research corporation poll, kyra, that was taken earlier this month. at a time when president obama and democrats are trying to get that democratic base really energized and to get them out there and have them show up at the polls in november. this is not very good news. let's look at this story right here on the political ticker from our own molly levenson. we're looking at the top 100 house race that's could come in play come november 2nd. this is about a race in pennsylvania. it is currently held by republican charlie dent. democrats think they might have a shot at this seat. you know, surprisingly, democrats don't have many shots across the country. but, this is an area that not only did president obama win in 2008, al gore won in 2000 and john kerry in 2004.

public polling shows that charlie dent has a lead over the democrat who's bethlehem mayor shawn callahan. democrats think they can close this in the next few weeks. and really the bigamistry is solved on "dancing with the stars." there was some booing when sarah palin came on here. and some people thought that was the audience booing sarah palin. but, in fact, abc has released video and we realize that, in fact, they weren't booing sarah palin. they were booing the judges who had given some scores to some dancers right before then. so for all the sarah palin haters who thought the dancing with the stars audience members were mad at sarah palin, i'm sorry, they weren't. kyra? >> thanks for setting the record straight. thanks, mark. we'll have the next political update in an hour. for all the latest political news go, to our website, cnnpolitics.com. let's go cross country. starting in arizona. police arrested the mayor there on charges that he took bribes in exchange for city contracts.

the fbi says the mayor steered contracts to certain businesses. he is also charged with money laundering, fraud, and conflict of interest. in miami, a bizarre sight. gloria estefan had to climb out of a window at sunlife stadium when the door to her luxury box wouldn't open. they had to rush down to the field and introduce the halftime entertainment at the miami dolphin's football game sunday night. seconds after the announcer named the winner of australia's next top model, she has to admit that she got it wrong. stick around. you'll see what happens. s to cookies just out of the oven. to the morning bowl of cereal. and to lactaid® milk. easy to digest and with all the calcium and vitamin d of regular milk. [ female announcer ] lactaid®. the original lactose-free milk. it's work through the grime and the muck, month. tow and pull without getting stuck month. sweat every day to make an honest buck...month. and if you're gonna try and do this in anything other than a chevy... well, good luck...month.

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♪ i never thought that this would be the way you'd come back home ♪ >> every day at this time we honor the men and women in uniform who have given their lives in iraq and afghanistan for us. we call it "home and away." we want to lift up captain david anthony wisniewski. he died in july. four other airmen were killed in

that crash. dave's fiancee sent in these pictures for us. the couple met on e harmony and were to be married this month. melissa hopes dave is remembered for his beautiful smile and genuine kindness. dave was so humble about the job that he did and the many lives that he touched and saved. there is nothing more he wanted to do than fly to the rescue of others in need. he truly loved and believed in his job. if there's a loved one or comrade that you'd like us to honor, had is all you have to do. go to cnn.com/homeandaway and type in the service members name and pull up the profile. send us your thoughts, pictures. and we promise to keep the memory of your hero alive. ♪ that's how you were ♪ i guess only heroes have the strength enough to serve ♪ st, longest nights on the planet. and asked frequent heartburn sufferers, like carl, to put prilosec otc's 24 hour heartburn protection to the test for two weeks. the results? i can concentrate on everything i'm doing,

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winner takes it all. not always. imagine the embarrassment when the host of the next top model names the wrong winner. a gaffe like that on national television, no place to hide. perfect for our jeannie moos. >> reporter: you feel like a loser when you blow the who's the winner announcement as we in the media. >> we call florida -- rl know all too well. >> excuse me one second. mike, you know i wouldn't do

this if it weren't big. florida goes for al gore. >> reporter: oh, no it didn't. >> bush wins. florida goes bush? >> reporter: announcing the winner of the presidency is big. but announcing -- >> australia's next top model -- >> reporter: not so big until you get it wrong. >> it's you, kelsey. >> reporter: the victor and amanda ware hugs and then live on australia's fox aid hosts sarah murdoch heard a voice in her ear. >> oh, my god. i don't know what to say right now. i'm feeling a bit sick about this. this is not -- this is a complete accident. i'm so sorry. it's amanda. i'm so sorry. it was fed to me wrong. >> referee: the tv folks say there was a miscommunication between the broadcast truck and the stage. the loser con sold the host. >> it's ridiculous. it's fine. it's okay. >> i don't know how this happened. >> it's okay. it's an honest mistake. >> the loser did get an apology and $25,000 as a consolation

prize. the new winner seemed thrilled. they seem especially vulnerable to gaffes like this. a song contest three years ago came down to a face-off between a group named scooch and a performer named cindy. and the winner is? >> cindy. >> reporter: two announcers simultaneously declared different winners. >> for cindy, victory was fleeting. >> it is scooch! >> it is scooch. >> cindy, darling, i'm so sorry. you were so close. >> you win some, you lose some. but not usually at the same time. australia's "next top model" has been dubbed australia's next top mistake. there is no mistaking how big a mistake when it attracts that internet symbol of failure

glchlt . >> so sorry. ♪ >> reporter: the next top model got played off by the keyboard cat. jeannie moes, cnn, new york. >> well, we've been talking this hour about controversial proposal, healthy lunches for schoolchildren or food for the poor? some house democrats say they don't want to choose between the two. but the pressure is on right now because the federal child nutrition program expires tomorrow. a lot of you weighing in on this, sharing your stories of your lunches that you remember from school. jess said, i ate free school lunches and just happy to have the food. at times that, was my only meal. it doesn't make sense that congress with cut food stamps to fund changes in school food. as a mother and dietician this is not okay. cutting snap benefits to improve school meals reduces the quality of food for families at home. cutting snap is taking away an apple to give a